[ Next Morning – Office of Varis Films ]
The sunlight slanted across the desk in warm golden lines, catching the edges of the red folder that now sat front and center.
Elian stared at it like it might start talking again.
Anaisha's draft. Her version of Driftline. Or what was now clearly Echo Maze's ancestral cousin. The system hadn't chimed in all morning. Maybe even it was waiting to see what he'd do.
Across the room, Shaan leaned back in the office chair, balancing a paper coffee cup on his stomach and scrolling through festival tweets.
"I think my favorite one is from this guy," Shaan said, flipping the screen toward Elian. "He said the film reminded him of Inception and Barfi! in the same sentence."
Elian blinked. "That's… mildly terrifying."
"And kind of flattering," Shaan grinned. "Confusing but emotionally moving. Just like Miraal's breakfast burrito reviews."
Miraal, sitting on the edge of the desk, arched a brow. "Excuse you. My breakfast reviews are a public service."
Elian allowed a slight smile. It helped. Their usual banter felt like a stabilizing thread.
But it didn't solve the real issue.
---
[Internal Struggle – The Credit Dilemma]
He turned the situation over in his head again.
Anaisha hadn't lied. The bones of the story had been shared. Maybe unrefined, maybe old, but the foundation had been co-created.
Legally, it was murky.
Morally? It wasn't.
[System Alert: Moral Integrity Alignment High. Reputation Boost Possible via Transparent Action.]
The system's message flashed softly. It wasn't forcing him. Just offering. An optional upgrade, one that required swallowing his pride.
"Okay," Elian said aloud.
Shaan looked up. "Okay what?"
"I'm giving her credit," Elian said simply. "Shared story origin. Co-conceptualized. I'll issue a public acknowledgment before she even makes a move."
There was a beat of silence.
"…Wow," Miraal said. "You're really not doing the usual damage-control PR dance, huh?"
Elian shrugged. "If I dodge this, it won't sit right. Not with me. And not with the story I'm trying to tell next."
Shaan nodded slowly, impressed. "That's… respectable. Slightly disappointing from a gossip potential standpoint, but respectable."
---
That was the moment the door burst open and Karan entered—holding two coffees and an iPad.
"I brought celebration drinks! Also spilled one on your stairs. Sorry in advance if someone slips."
Behind him, Miraal groaned. "That carpet is beige. Beige doesn't survive anything."
"I said sorry!" Karan replied, then quickly added, "Anyway—the audience responses are in."
"Already?" Elian asked.
"Yep. I pulled them from the early screening feedback forms and online comments. Want to hear a few?"
"Go ahead," Miraal said, leaning forward.
Karan tapped the iPad. "One person wrote: 'The story caught me off guard. It started slow, but then the twist in the second half gave me chills. I didn't expect to tear up at the end.'"
"That's good," Shaan said, nodding. "Balanced and honest."
"Another said: 'I related a lot to the lead character. The way he dealt with guilt and time—felt real. The movie didn't spoon-feed me, and I liked that.'"
Miraal smiled. "That's exactly what we were hoping for."
Karan flipped to another. "And one more: 'Some scenes confused me, but the emotional bits hit hard. My friend was crying, and I kind of wanted to hug someone.'"
Elian chuckled. "Now that's a real reaction."
"It's not viral praise," Karan admitted. "But it feels... Genuine."
Elian nodded. "That's what matters. If even a few people connected with it that way, we did our job."
---
[The Press Decision]
"Okay, back to serious," Miraal said, pulling her legs up onto the couch. "You're really going to announce this thing with Anaisha?"
Elian nodded.
He pulled up his laptop, opened a new press note draft, and began typing.
> Acknowledgment: The emotional origin of Echo Maze began in a collaborative script written with Anaisha Raut during our early screenwriting years. While the final film has evolved greatly, it stands on creative roots we once shared. I am grateful for that beginning, and it deserves to be honored.
It wasn't a big statement.
But it was honest.
Shaan leaned over his shoulder, reading. "You sure you're not going to lose momentum over this?"
Elian clicked save. "No. If anything, I think people will respect it more. It's a strange industry. But not heartless."
Karan nodded. "And anyway, if anyone gives you grief, just do what I do—blame a fictional twin."
Miraal snorted. "Your fictional twin is more competent than you."
"I know. He's my agent now."
---
[Later That Day – Elian's POV]
Alone in the quiet of his apartment again, Elian finally let himself lean back.
The system pinged one last time.
[Branch Timeline Repaired: Relationship with Creator Peer Strengthened. New project slot unlocked.]
[New Side Objective Available: "Rewrite the Past with Collaboration"]
He smiled faintly.
Not every decision had to be about dominance, power plays, or drama. Sometimes, just not being a jerk was enough to unlock the next level.
It feels so calm and free.